91Èȱ¬

A recent MONARCH (Modelling Natural Resource Responses to Climate Change) report predicted that endangered butterfly species such as the marsh fritillary and pearl-bordered fritillary, which have strongholds in Wales, could actually benefit from the warming climate.

According to Russel Hobson from Butterfly Conservation, they're unlikely to spread in Wales as there's not enough suitable habitat for them to move to.

Existing populations that could provide sources for new colonies are not currently sufficiently well managed and it's not known how their food plants will respond to change.

The threatened large heath butterfly, which is found mainly on blanket bog in southern Snowdonia, is at risk from climate change. If the bogs dry out, there may be nowhere for this butterfly to go.

Other species, such as the Adonis blue, which aren't currently found in Wales, are expected to be one of the possible climate change winners.

They do however only fly short distances (under 200m) during their lives and there's a lot of unsuitable habitat between their current English strongholds and Wales, so the journey would be slow and treacherous.

Russel Hobson said: "A key message from all the discussion of climate change is that we need to ensure that core populations of our threatened species are maintained where they are now so they have the capacity to expand in future.

That means getting all our European sites and Sites of Special Scientific Interest in to favourable condition, then looking to restore habitat nearby."